Women Folk Painters Empowered ; A Revolution in a Rural Setting.

Abstract

The question of women empowerment is undoubtedly a critical issue, particularly in developing countries like India where women are regarded as inferior citizens, dominated by the menfolk. Choice of opportunity to work is a major dimension of human development. The objective of this paper is to ascertain the socio-economic position of women in the patua (folk-painter) community of West Medinipur District in West Bengal. The study is based on Naya, a newly emerging patua village. Both primary and secondary sources of information form the database. The research has revealed that in the last two decades, in Naya, training sessions have led to the emergence of young women as talented women patuas, who are not only earning a decent income in their own right, but are also helping to support their own families. In the near future, they promise to become entirely self-reliant, thus perpetuating a revolutionary change in the underdeveloped society of rural India.